croon

[ kroon ]
See synonyms for: crooncroonedcrooningcrooner on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to sing or hum in a soft, soothing voice: to croon to a baby.

  2. to sing in an evenly modulated, slightly exaggerated manner: Popular singers began crooning in the 1930s.

  1. to utter a low murmuring sound.

  2. Scot. and North England.

verb (used with object)
  1. to sing (a song) in a crooning manner.

  2. to lull by singing or humming to in a soft, soothing voice: to croon a child to sleep.

noun
  1. the act or sound of crooning.

Origin of croon

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cronen, from Middle Dutch: “to lament”

Other words from croon

  • croon·er, noun
  • croon·ing·ly, adverb

Words Nearby croon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use croon in a sentence

  • He called him the "croon Prince" because the black crosses painted on his wings were of a more elaborate design than was usual.

    Tam O' The Scoots | Edgar Wallace
  • Was there ever a mother who did not croon to her fretful child, and who did not rock her babe to sleep with rhythmic lullaby?

    Spirit and Music | H. Ernest Hunt
  • The music was quite lost here, and Persis hummed the tune herself; seemed to croon it into his very heart.

    What Will People Say? | Rupert Hughes
  • A quaint recitative of his own, which he generally contrived to vary each night, was the song, a loving croon of sleep and rest.

    The Book-Bills of Narcissus | Le Gallienne, Richard
  • She continued to croon softly the lullaby which had belonged to her own babies: "Hushaby, sweet, my own—"

    The Gay Cockade | Temple Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for croon

croon

/ (kruːn) /


verb
  1. to sing or speak in a soft low tone

noun
  1. a soft low singing or humming

Origin of croon

1
C14: via Middle Dutch crōnen to groan; compare Old High German chrōnan to chatter, Latin gingrīre to cackle (of geese)

Derived forms of croon

  • crooner, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012